


I Write the Songs

by allysonandrews1982 (FonzFan82)



Series: McCarey [24]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Songwriting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2018-10-25 03:03:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10755396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FonzFan82/pseuds/allysonandrews1982
Summary: Richard McCarey has been writing songs for several years now, and one day he calls up his cousin, Jay and talks about his writing songs for Jay Wonder in the future. How would it go for Richard? Find out





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My characters you have been following Jay and his new friends, I know about the music business because several years ago I would read about music biographies. Somehow these characters kept telling me they wanted to do this for a living, so this is why you see a lot of it in these stories.

I was buttoning my light red and striped jacket. My wife, Lynne, watched when I finished doing just that. Let me introduce myself. I am Richard McCarey. Lynne happens to be my second wife. We’ve been married for ten years now. Today was only Wednesday morning and I had plans for this morning, so that’s why I was on my way out.

“Where are you going, Richard?” Lynne asked me.

“I’m going to look after Tom for the morning. I thought I told you that the other day.”

“I guess I forgot.”

“That’s okay. I should try to be back by lunchtime.”

“All right, honey. Be safe out there. I’m going to get started on spring cleaning.”

“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll call if something comes up.”

When I finished saying that, we kissed and then I was out. I went to the garage where we park our cars. Lynne and I live here in Lambert Lake, Connecticut. I said Tom because he is my older brother’s dog. Robert and his second wife, Beth, were out of town for a while. They were going to visit New York since she had family out there.

While I was going to keep the chocolate Lab company for the morning, I was going to play my guitar. I happen to be in this family who is well – known since the eighteenth century. I am not really into family history, but I do know a bit about us all the way back to the beginning of the family. This family I live with has a gift for music. Not every family has this gift for music.

Robert doesn’t really have the gift of music like I do. He is now retired, even though he still wants to go back. We had to talk him into retirement, but that took time. When I let myself in Robert’s house, Tom came running to me and was panting.

“Hi, Tom. Did you sleep well last night?” I asked as I patted the dog a few times. His tail wagged even harder. We both walked into the kitchen together.

“We will have the entire morning to ourselves,” I told the dog as I filled up the water bowl.

He didn’t need to be told to sit, so he did that on his own. He was still wagging his tail as I poured his food and placed it in front of him. I stayed in the kitchen for a while longer as I watched the dog finish eating. After that, the dog burped as I opened the back door for him to do his business.

When I let the dog back inside, we walked into the living room right where I left my jacket in the car. I sat down on the couch and grabbed my guitar where I’d left it. Tom laid next to me as I began to play. My whole family loves music, but we like all sorts of it. Country music is our favorite in the family. I began to sing a song that I’d recently started writing. Here’s how the song goes:

“Sunshine and candy go together on a Monday  
The candy is a chocolate bar that is waiting to be bought  
The sunshine is showing us a warm day  
With some rain in the sky  
Candy bar is very lonely, yes, very lonely  
The candy bar was so lonely it wanted to go out in the outdoors for some company from the sun.”

I kept playing the rest of the song. I like how I opened up the song’s story. This time the song is a bit of rock ‘n’ roll for now, but I could change it. I thought of my cousin, Jay McCarey. Of all the family, he is the only one who is a recording artist. This is why I thought of it. I looked at my watch. It now told me it was now eight – thirty in the morning.

Jay lives in Nevada, but with time difference, the East Coast is ahead by a couple of hours. It was almost eleven in Nevada. I have no idea how Jay spends his mornings when he’s not on the road touring. I decided it would be worth a try and call him up. Sorry, I got the time mixed up. It’s almost nine here, so it should be almost seven. It sounded a bit too early to talk with him, but I left a message anyway.

When I left a message, I decided to sing a bit more on my new song. Here is what else I sang:

“The store was still closed while the candy bar thought it was wanting to have some time in the sunshine  
There wasn’t a way for the chocolate bar to escape in the outdoors in the sunshine.”

I stopped there. The more I sang the song, the more I liked it. I just came up with the perfect title: Sunshine and Candy. Lynne hasn’t heard the song yet, but I’ll sing it to her at some point. This isn’t the first time I have been writing songs. Tonight Lynne and I will be at church. We happen to have Catholic background. I had to be at the church sometime after dinner because I had to practice the songs for the service on Sunday. I usually lead the worship team. I’ve been doing that for a long time now, and I enjoy it.

While I played my guitar, I heard my phone beep. I put my guitar down and answered.

“This is Richard,” I said.

“Hello, Richard. I got your message.”

“Good. I was calling about a song. I think you might want to hear it.”

“What type of song?” 

Jay was now interested. 

“I wrote it myself.”

“Wow. I have never learned to do that.”

“I’m sure you can do it.”

“Not anytime soon. Mr. York and Mrs. Rivera are doing some last – minute scheduling for my summer tour.”

“Who are they again? I thought you still had Paul,” I told him.

“Not anymore. I have new people. Jay Wonder lost Paul because he was offered a management job in Rhode Island. We do miss him, though. Mr. York and Mrs. Rivera are doing a great job so far.”

“How long have they been with you?” I asked.

“A year in July. Let’s hear your song. What is the title?”

“Sunshine and Candy,” I answered.

“That sounds like a creative title, Richard.”

“Yes, it is. Since we’re music related, we mostly enjoy country music the best. I have a question.”

“What’s that?”

“I just thought of the question. Do I need a demo?”

I knew for sure that’s how the music industry works. Just something I knew without anyone telling me.

“I’m not in charge of that, Richard. You can play for me right now, and I will tell you what I think. How does that sound?”

“Fine with me.”

I decided to stand up while I played for my cousin. I just thought of something.

“Jay, this is the reason I am calling. I have been thinking about you and your success as a recording artist.”

“Thank you, Richard. Tell me the rest of your idea.”

“I was wondering if this song I am still working on could be recorded in the future. You could probably perform it for your audience.”

“I like the idea, Richard. Like I just said, I’m not in charge of this whole thing. All I do is record and sing.”

“I understand that. I do happen to play guitar myself also. Do you want to record this song so you can hear it in the future?”

“That’s a start. You can start your song.”

I began to play the guitar once I stood up. I could hear him turn the RECORD button.

“What is the title again?”

“Sunshine and Candy. I still haven’t finished writing it.”

“That’s fine. Just play what you have at the moment.”

So I did what he told me.

“Sunshine and candy,” I started and then I went on.

When I finished, I said, “What do you think?”

I heard him push the STOP button. 

“I like it, mostly the first two sentences. It happens to me that it could make the charts.”

“That is why I called. Glad you were able to like it.”

“It’s my turn to ask something.”

“What’s that?”

“Did you have a career out of the music you just sang for me?”

“No way. I mostly was in choir and theater.”

“That answers my first question. Here’s another one: What did you do for a living?”

“I used to be a news anchor in the evening news. I am retired now, so I have been enjoying the hobby of songwriting.”

“I see. Now I remember who you are. I used to watch the evening news and watched you. You did a very nice job out there.”

“Thank you, Jay. I will have to end this conversation. I want to take Robert’s dog out for a walk.”

“I will talk with you again another time. Take care now.”

“Same to you, Jay.”

Then I found the leash and a doggie bag, and then Tom and I headed out the door. Lynne would really by interested in this conversation I had with my cousin.


	2. Chapter 2

I drove back home at lunchtime. It looked like to me that Lynne was still home. When I took off my seatbelt, I got out of the driver’s seat and grabbed my guitar. I’d left my latest song lyrics at home while I was with Tom this morning. I saw Lynne was about to load the dishwasher when I walked in. She looked at me.

“Hi, Richard. How is Tom today?”

“Hi, honey. He’s doing good. It’s still pretty quiet since Beth and Robert are out of town.”

“Makes sense. Did you have any chance to work on your song you told me about?”

“A little, but I left the lyrics here. I talked with Jay. Don’t you remember him?”

“Of course I do, Richard. What about him?”

“Jay and I talked about music. I let him listen to the song.”

“What did he think about it?” Lynne asked me.

“He liked it, which I thought so. It turned out I was right.”

“What genre did you say the song was again?” Lynne asked.

“Rock ‘n’ roll for now, but it could always change. You know I like country music better.”

Lynne nodded.

“So do I,” she agreed.

“I’d like to stop by and visit Mom and Grandpa sometime soon.”

“That’s not a bad idea. I’m sure they’re thinking about the same thing.”

I nodded as Lynne said that.

“When would you like to hear my song?”

“Anytime is fine with me. Are you finished with it?”

“Not yet, but I’m getting close. I’d like to play it for Robert and Beth when they come home.”

“I’m sure they’ll be up to it. I haven’t heard from Beth since they left. She said before they left she would send pictures to my phone so we could see.”

“Just let her take time to do that,” I told her.

“That’s what I’m doing, Richard.”

“Sometimes it’s hard to wait.”

Lynne agreed.

“You know I’m pretty patient.”

“Of course you are, honey. A lot better than I am.”

“Being patient is something us McCareys do, but it isn’t always easy, if you know what I’m saying. I decided not to share with Lynne about Jay’s comment on “Sunshine and Candy.” I would share with Lynne when I have more information on where the song will be going. That’s what I’m doing – patience.

Songwriting is something I’ve done for several years from my teenage years up until today. I’ve gotten better at it since I was a teenager. No, I don’t have the songs I’d written during my teenage years. Songwriting is something I do for fun, and it’s a fun hobby. Like Jay, I do have the gift for music, but I’m not a recording artist. I’m sure for those who don’t know, us family members always had the gift for music, and some of us who like sports have the gift for that.

Lynne made us leftover meatloaf from last night’s dinner. I thanked her as I grabbed out a plate to help myself. I’m the one who enjoys leftovers in this house. I’m pretty good when it comes to finishing off leftovers. 

“I know it’s a long way to dinner, but what do you have in mind?”

“How about pizza? What do you think?” she asked.

“That’s fine with me. Are you going to call in or are you doing homemade?”

“I was thinking of homemade, if that’s fine with you.”

“Of course it is, Lynne. When Robert and I were growing up, Mom mostly made homemade, and that includes dessert.”

“You never told me that.”

“Now you know,” I told her.

She nodded her head.

“I’m going into town in a little bit.”

“That’s fine. You don’t need to tell me.”

Lynne is part of a book club that’s held twice a week, which are Fridays and Sundays. Lynne is a reader, but doesn’t speed read.

Lynne waited after we finished eating.

“Do you still want to hear my song before you leave or wait until you get back?”

“Let’s wait until I get back. I hope that’s okay with you.”

“It’s no big deal, Lynne. The more I sang the song, the more it sounds like a rock ‘n’ roll song rather than country.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to do something new.”

“That’s true,” I agreed.

“Just leave your plate in the sink because I just loaded the dishwasher.”

“Okay. I wouldn’t mind unloading it.”

“That would be a big help. I need to stop by Wal – Mart on my way home so I can buy what I need what the pizza needs. It’s been a while since I’ve done that.”

“There’s no hurry for you to return from your book club. What’s going on there?”

Lynne would share with me once in a while what everyone has been reading. I find it interesting. I’m no reader like she is.

I didn’t have much to do for this afternoon. I was planning to take the dog out for a walk. Robert and Beth mostly walk Tom about two to three times a day, which is a good thing. I try to do almost three when I have to look after the dog. 

I decided to walk Tom for a while when Lynne is running errands and her book club. I usually go over to feed the dog early in the morning.

“I’ll walk the dog while you’re gone,” I told her.

“Okay. I’ll see you tonight then.”

“Not a problem.”

That’s when she left me behind.


	3. Chapter 3

“Lynne?”

“What’s that, Richard?”

“Are you ready to hear my song?”

“Not yet. Can we wait until Robert and Beth come home so you won’t have to play twice?”

“You’re right, Lynne. I did get a text from Robert not too long ago.”

“What did he say, Richard?”

“I haven’t read it yet, Lynne. When I read it, I’ll tell you.”

“Sounds good. I’d better start thinking about grabbing my shopping list. Do you have any suggestions for dinner?”

“No. Whatever you come up with, that’s fine with me.”

“Okay. I’m not sure when I’ll be home.”

“There’s no hurry, Lynne. I want to play my new song again. Maybe rewrite a few verses of the song. Some of it looks like it doesn’t make much sense.”

“It’s your song, so you can do anything with it.”

“I know. Maybe Jay would be nice enough to let me do a demo for his staff and see what they think.”

“I don’t know about that one, honey. You know better about than I do.”

I nodded. I got up from the couch so I could give her a hug and kiss before she left me.

“I’ll miss you when you’re gone,” I told her.

She laughed.

“I won’t be gone for a while. You work on your writing instead. See you soon.”

“All right. Like I just said, I’ll miss you.”

I watched Lynne collect what she needed. I followed her.

“Why are you following me, Richard? Lynne asked me.

“I just want to walk you to the car. What’s wrong about that?” 

“Nothing. I can do that myself.”

I walked her out to the car anyway.

“I like walking my wife to the car. I’ll be counting the minutes, Lynne.”

“No, you won’t. I’ll be home before you know it.”

What she had just told me made a lot of sense. I do lose track of time. I can tell you that. 

“Lynne, on your way home, would you mind grabbing the mail for Beth and Robert?”

“I will do that. Tell that Sunshine and Candy song to behave.”

Now it was my turn to laugh.

“The song’s doesn’t need to be told. I know you’re just joking.”

“Of course I am. See you later,” Lynne told me.

I told her the same thing. I slammed the front door behind me since she was out of sight. When I slammed the door, I decided now was the best time to see what my brother had to say. Here’s what he said:

‘Hi, Rich. Beth and I should be home within a couple of days or so. How is Tom?’

‘Tom is doing well, Robert. He does miss you.’

‘I know he does. I’m sure he was bored when I was gone.’

‘You be he does. He’s very well – behaved. Lynne just left to do some grocery shopping.’

‘That doesn’t surprise me. I heard from Mark.’

‘That’s good. What did he have to say?’

‘Not much. Mark wanted me to tell you that he will stop by soon.’

‘Thanks for telling me. It’s been a while since I saw him and Todd.’

‘I know. Beth and I are planning to have chicken tonight. We’re eating out, by the way. What have you been up to?’

It told me that he’s very interested to hear I started on a new song.

‘Not much. Just started getting back to writing another song.’

‘You really are good at that. Is it country music this time?’

‘No, but it can change anytime,’ I answered.

What type of song is it since it’s not country?’

“Rock ‘n’ roll,” I answered.

He sent me a tongue. He doesn’t do that often.

‘You should know by now we’re more country than our cousin is. What gave you the crazy idea of writing a rock song?’

‘Nothing’s wrong, Robert. Maybe I wanted to write that type of genre.’

‘You’re more creative than I am when it comes to music.’

I saw that Robert had a very good point.

‘Has Lynne heard it?’

‘Not yet. She wanted to wait until you and Beth return from your holiday.’

‘Thanks. Can I hear a little bit?’

‘I guess it’s okay. Only a little bit.’

I did just that. 

‘I like it. I think you should make it more of a country song.’

‘I have thought of the same thing. Country music rocks, doesn’t it?'

‘Of coursed. Beth wants to talk with Lynne.’

‘She can talk to her instead of you saying something about it.’

I didn’t want to tell Robert about my song and Jay letting us that a demo was a good idea. Robert would be jealous if I told him right away. Even he likes hearing about Jay Wonder. One thing I didn’t know was that I would tour with Jay and his band this summer. Should be fun.


	4. Chapter 4

Lynne gave me a hug.

“Thanks, Lynne. It’s just what I needed,” I told her.

“I like giving people hugs.”

“I know you do. Jay was telling me not too long ago that he is looking forward to seeing us again.”

“That was nice of him. Did he say anything about having the chance to meet his new manager?”

I shook my head and answered, “Not a word, but I would like that.”

“So would I. Any ideas where you and I will be staying while we’re out there?”

“I was thinking of either Treasure Island or the Mirage,” I replied.

“Either one is fine with me. I’m just along for the ride.”

“I am already thinking of packing anyway. Jay said it’s supposed to be hot out there while we’re visiting.”

“It’s always hot there in the summer,” she agreed.

“I know. I’m thinking of wearing green while we’re there.”

“You do this every time when we plan. You wear only one color.”

“I don’t see any problem with that.”

“The way I look at it, people might think that’s strange.”

“I was told it goes back from generation to generation, Lynne. I know it sounds strange, but it’s true. Jay once told me he and Karen do that also.”

“What color did you say was his favorite?”

“It’s green, like mine is. I know we have Irish background, but it doesn’t matter to other people on what your favorite color is.”

Lynne agreed with me.

“How does Jay dress when he’s performing?”

“Different colors. He wears green once in a while for his performances.”

“That makes sense. Does he have a website for his listeners?” Lynne asked.

“Sure he does. He told me his manager is in charge of that, along with social media.”

“Makes sense.”

Lynne’s favorite color has always been light brown. I’m not too crazy about that color, if you ask me. I yawned before I said anything else.

“Do you know how long we’ll be out there in Las Vegas?”

“Of course I don’t. There’s no telling how long it will be.”

“I guess that means we should do some extra packing then. I didn’t tell Beth about this trip.”

“You can tell her if you want. I’m thinking of doing a demo for Jay in person.”

“I like that idea. I guess it gives him an idea where your songwriting comes from.”

“It’s a gift, Lynne. I have told you several times music is a gift from the past generations up until today.”

“Lots of centuries.”

“It will keep going in the future. When our first generation in 1777, we were involved with classical music and Irish folk songs. Music has changed since then.”

“Of course it has. Even Todd and Mark have that gift.”

“They do. It’s in the genes,” I said once again.

“I heard Jay will be on tour to Ireland this summer,” Lynne told me.

“How did you hear about that?” I asked.

“I heard it by radio. CNN has mentioned it, but it’s a scandal.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Scandals happen all the time, Richard,” she reminded me.

“That’s true. This one could be a rumor instead. Have you thought about that one?”

“Yes.”

“Then stop believing it as a scandal. I don’t really follow rumors or scandals.”

“You should hear about this one.”

“You don’t need to tell me. I don’t think I shared this with you or not, but I happen to be a guest in Jay Wonder on this year’s tour.”

“I’m not sure if I would let you do that.”

“Lynne, don’t keep talking about scandals. It’s just your imagination.”

“No, it’s not. I think you should pay close attention to scandals.”

“I don’t want to argue about this, Lynne.”

“What are you doing with Jay Wonder this year’s tour?”

“He wants me to come along and I will sing my “Sunshine and Candy” song. For his fans. He did come up with an idea.”

“What’s the idea?”

“He wants to do something different this year. Jay did mention in our last conversation that he wants to have an Irish theme with his rock ‘n’ roll. I think that’s an interesting idea. This is why I am packing up my green clothes.”

“That’s a creative idea. He sounds like a creative person from what I’ve been hearing.”

“I have to agree with you, Beth. I do know some words in that language.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“You just learned something today.”

“Of course I did. Does that mean I have to pack up my green clothes also?”

“Yes. It’s a requirement he told me.”

“I’ll do what he wants us to do. I’ll see what I can find. You have a lot of green for sure.”

“I know. Do you think some of it is getting old?”

“Yes. We can do a little bit of shopping while we’re there.”

Lynne has always been a good shopper, but almost always forgets to cut out coupons. She has Beth help her on that one. Mom was always good about that when Robert and I were growing up.

“I found a pen that someone dropped on the floor at Robert’s house the other day, but I picked it up. It was probably the dog. Guess what the color is?” I asked.

“What?”

“Green. Even Robert likes green, but he’s not too crazy about it. He likes wearing for occasions, including St. Patrick’s Day,” I told Lynne.

“Even Tom has a green collar and leash.”

“You don’t need to remind me, Richard. I’m having second thoughts about your family background.”

“You can tell me.”

“I’m not sharing it with you, but I will with Beth.”

“Fine with me. If it’s negative, I don’t show any interest.”

“Okay. It is negative, but I do love you.”

“I love you too, Lynne.”

Then we kissed.


	5. Chapter 5

I got a telephone call from my cousin, Jay. I haven’t known him for a long time, and now we’re already doing just that. I looked at my watch: 1:19 PM. The phone was just starting to ring. I let Lynne get it. I was only finishing on writing the rest of my song.

“Hi, Jay. Yes, he’s here.”

“Who is it?” I asked, putting my notebook on the coffee table.

“It’s Jay.”

“I’ll take it. This is Richard.”

“Hi, Richard. I was wanting to call you this morning, but never got around to it. I’m just calling you about the summer tour.”

“What about it?” I asked.

“Vincent said you’re welcome to come along with us because of your ‘Sunshine and Candy’ song. He thinks it’ll be a popular song for my group another number one hit.”

“Can I talk about this with Lynne first? That way we can get a good idea if we decide if this fits in the schedule. As for now, Lynne and I are looking after Robert’s dog.”

“That makes a lot of sense to me. We don’t have much time to wait since the tour schedule is already made up.”

“I believe it. Should Lynne and I tell Beth and Robert if we agree on this?” I asked.

“Only if you want to. Since Robert’s your brother, I don’t care if you want to share with him or not. Sometimes I wish I had a brother. Karen is all I have.”

“Same here. How do I contact my answer? You or Mr. York?”

“Either way works. Vincent’s in charge of the dates, so I recommend you call him instead.”

“That’s what I’ll do, then. Mind if you give me this guy’s contact information?”

He gave it out as I wrote it down.

“Thanks, Jay. This should be a fun year since I get to travel with my younger cousin.”

“I happen to think that Vincent said something about you recording that ‘Sunshine and Candy’ song since you’re the only one who knows the lyrics. I think you’ll have to call Vincent about what you and Lynne decided.”

“Okay. That makes sense. How much time do we need to think it over, Jay?” 

“I think he sad about a day or two, but I could be wrong. I wish you luck on what you and Lynne have decided on and we’ll go from there.”

“Thanks, Jay. You’re a good cousin,” I told him.

“Thanks. The same goes to you.”

That’s when we ended the phone call. Lynne was in the kitchen when I put the telephone back where it belonged.

“What did Jay have to tell you this time?”

“About touring with him and Jay Wonder. Since he doesn’t know the song like I do, I get to perform instead, which I think is fun.”

“I happen to agree, Richard.”

Then Lynne spoke again.

“Are you sure you want to this?”

I answered, “I’ve almost always pictured my name on a record like Jay does. Why don’t we talk about it some more?”

“That’s fine with me, honey. I’ll tell Beth about this exciting news if we both agree to this!”

“It’s just talk for now, Lynne. Just don’t say anything until it does happen.”

“I’ll do my best. You know how Beth is.”

“No argument there. And my nephews are successful as senator and mayor.”

She had to agree.

“While we’re talking about Todd and Mark, do you want to tell them about this exciting news?”

“Not yet. Just don’t say anything to them quite yet, okay? Remember Todd was the first one to be accepted when they voted on him? And he didn’t say anything once he started his first day. That made us happy when Mark was voted on as the new mayor of Lambert Lake.”

She nodded, and it was her turn to nod.

“I do remember . Once Mark was accepted, all he ever talks about politics these days and nothing else. I’m going to start supper.”

“All right, Lynne. I’ll go check on the dog.”

So that’s what I did.


	6. Chapter 6

I went through all of the lyrics down, which the “Sunshine and Candy” song. Lynne understands on how important this means to me because I only write songs as a hobby and not a living. It’s only July, so I am looking forward to do more touring with Jay and his rock group called Jay Wonder. They sure have a lot of talent, let me tell you.

“Don’t you want to come along this month, Lynne? You’re welcome to come along,” I told her.

“I forgot about it.”

I wanted to go through the lyrics of Sunshine and Candy for a while today. I am only older than Jay by a couple of years, so it’s not a big deal in age difference.

“You’ll have a good birthday this year,” Lynne told me.

“I know, Lynne. Have you heard from Beth recently?”

“No, I haven’t, Richard. I’ll tell her we’ll be on tour for your birthday. How about you? Any luck with Robert?”

“Not yet. He must be doing something else.”

“Probably. Speaking of Robert, when do you plan to get the dog out?”

“I can do that now,” I told her.

“Or do you want me to do look after Tom?”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. I can do it since Robert asked me.”

“Okay. You have a very nice family.”

“Thanks.”

Lynne doesn’t have much of a family, so she didn’t have any trust with her sisters, which I find that is disappointing. 

When I was about to get up from the couch, Lynne and I hugged and kissed one another.

“I don’t mind with the dog,” Lynne offered one more time.

“Lynne, did you see that I had my music sheet because of Sunshine and Candy. I couldn’t come up with any other ideas to change it to country from rock ‘n’ roll.”

So I decided to leave it the way I wrote it. On my way to Robert and Beth’s place, I sang the lyrics to my song.

“Sunshine and Candy,” I sang and then I went from there.

I sang almost all of the time. While I finished parking my blue Nissan in the driveway, my phone began to ring.

“This is Richard speaking.”

“Hi, Richard. This is Jay.”

“Hi, Jay. Looking forward to this month’s tour?” I asked.

“I am. Do you still plan to wear green?”

“I don’t think I’m following you, Coz. Please continue.”

“Do you think you saw the update about wearing green?”

“I don’t think I did. Why are you asking?” 

I still haven’t been able to follow where this conversation was coming from.

“Well, Jay Wonder is doing a little different surprise for the fans as a requirement to wear green all the tour, and that includes Ireland.”

“I’ll see what I can do. I’m over at Robert’s right now. His dog needs attention right now.”

“I thought that was Robert’s job and not yours, Richard.”

“He’s out of town right now, so Lynne and I are taking turns to spend time with the dog.”

“I also wanted to call and say happy early birthday. This is why I called.”

“Why, thank you, Jay. Has Vincent told you anything abut where you will be performing in Fort Collins?”

“He said we will be staying at a Holiday Inn hotel. We will be playing at CSU.”

“That’s cool. The university doesn’t sound very familiar to me at all.”

That was something he and I agreed on.

“Richard, Vincent wants me to warn you when the time comes to arrive in Ireland.”

“What do I need to know?”

“There’s a scandal going on. Since you and I are Irish, President Duncan looked me up so he could get a better picture on myself.”

“Why is it a scandal?”

He told me from what Vincent said.

“CNN is a very good TV station, so I don’t agree with the fake news thing.”

“I don’t follow CNN, but Vincent does, and believes in this.”

I finally put Robert’s key in the door to let myself in.

“Thanks for letting me know, Jay. I’ll pass the news over to Lynne. What else does President Duncan want to do to us since we’re Irish?”

“He wants to ban us McCareys because we’re Irish and our family moved here illegally from Ireland in the first place. This is why Vincent wanted me to tell you about this scandal that the President has against us.”

“I’ll make sure to pass it on. It’s nice talking with you as well. Be sure to fly and meet us at the Denver airport.”

“Okay. This whole thing with the President could be a rumor too,” I told my younger cousin.

“I never really thought about it.”

“Neither have I, but at least it gives us something to think about.”

We both talked more about it. After that, I fed and walked Tom. This will really make Lynne do some thinking as well. Good thing Jay and I are still in touch.


	7. Chapter 7

Lately, something wasn’t quite right. Since Jay and I are in France right now, Lynne had noticed I haven’t been taking my antidepressants during this tour.

“Richard?”

“What is it?” I asked.

“I’ve been noticing your antidepressants haven’t been touched much at all this summer.”

“Lynne, I don’t need those antidepressants anymore. I’m doing just fine,” I told her.

She looked like she didn’t believe me in that department.

“If there’s something on your mind about not taking those pills, I thought it’s time to get back home and make an appointment.”

“Lynne, stop worrying about me. I know you love me, and I do appreciate your worrying too much about me.”

“I know you do, honey. I happen to think this tour is a bit too much that’s probably why I’m worried about you. Look at Robert for example. He was uncomfortable with type two, but he’s starting to accept he’s now diabetic.”

“How can I forget that? I helped him out during the beginning of the diagnosis.”

“He appreciated that, Richard. I’m going to tell Jay and Vincent that we’re going back to Connecticut first thing in the morning.”

“Jay’s fans are expecting me to sing Sunshine and Candy for the rest of the tour. Jay does not know the lyrics like I do.”

“I thought he did when you mentioned it,” Lynne told me.

I began to yawn. Lynne was right – I have been too busy with the tour I have forgotten those antidepressants. I do fine, but I am under control.

Just then, I was starting to get tired of this conversation. I looked at the clock: six – forty in the evening.

“You stay right here. I’m contacting Jay and Vincent right now.”

I didn’t say anything because I don’t want an argument. I only watched her, but that was all I could do.

After watching her dial Vincent’s number, I decided to head to bed.

Even though it’s too early for bed, I decided it was time to sleep. Before that, I took a quick shower.

She was still talking on the phone when I finished brushing my teeth. It looked like she wasn’t paying much attention to what I was doing.

I only took the medications I have for seizures, but not the antidepressants. I slept through the night without having issues with depression for over fifty years now, I’m not understanding why Lynne doesn’t know much about my depression background.

I was diagnosed with depression when I was in school. When Mom and Dad found out about it, they scheduled for a date with the doctor.

I’m not sure how my mother would react to the episode if the latest on my antidepressants haven’t gotten much attention these days.

I am not addicted to those, and my family who know about it are happy about it. I normally am not an addicted to that stuff like that. Just something I am not interested in.

Just then Lynne was off from the conversation on her phone calls. She found me in bed.

“Richard, Vincent and Jay let us go home tomorrow morning. Jay said he’d like to learn your song,” she told me.

“I’ll do that first thing in the morning before we go. He has said that he likes the song. At least it was something that he gave me credit for.”

“I can picture you writing for him in the future for more hit songs.”

“I have never thought of that one. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” I replied.

She didn’t say anything after that. Then I fell asleep.

Lynne had the TV on for a while and I slept right through one of the shows we enjoy together, which is a cooking show that is mostly for Mexican food. Yes, it is an entertaining show. Robert likes being around food himself, but he’s more of a baker.

Yes, he’s like music as much as the rest of the family does. We do listen to a lot of music. Since Lynne and I are religious, we also listen to worship besides country.

“Lynne, I’ve told you a ton of times not to worry about me,” I told her.

“Since I have been together with you for quite a while, you don’t know much about my background with depression. This has nothing to do with the tour,” I replied.

“I don’t need to know everything, Richard.”

She had a good point, I told myself.

Arguing isn’t fun, but sometimes you do when it comes up like Lynne and I have right now.

“Lynne, I’m going to call Vincent and Jay right now and say I’m still going through this tour. And that’s final,” I said.

Now it was time to end the argument and I did just that by calling my cousin and his manager. It’s a good thing about communication, but it is different from what it was when Robert and I were growing up.

Jay was my first call. Lynne was watching me as I made the call, but didn’t say a word.

“Hi, Richard,” Jay said.

“Hi, Jay. I’m sure you heard what Lynne said.”

“Of course I do. This is also stressful at times. I do agree with her that you have done enough. The listeners understand your song won’t continue for the rest of the tour.”

“I see. Do you think you could do the song for the rest of the tour?”

“I can give it a try,” Jay answered.

“Okay. I wish you luck.”

“Thanks, Richard. Have a nice rest of the summer.”

“Same with you.”

That’s when the call ended. Jay would pass the word to Vincent. Now it is time to sleep. Today was quite a day, let me tell you.


	8. Chapter 8

Within the next day or so, Lynne and I found our seats on the airplane home. I still wanted to talk Lynne into changing her mind about letting me stay on the Jay Wonder tour. I still wanted to be with Jay and Karen. As I said before, they are my cousins. At least this tour gave me more time to spend with them, along with getting to know them.

“Lynne,, to me it looks like you’re treating me as a child by taking me back to Connecticut. I can take care of myself. And you’re not my mother.”

“I know, Richard. At least you have a wife who cares about you.”

I agreed.

“That’s true. If you were in my shoes, I think you would do the same thing I am right now is staying on tour without heading back to the States during a tour with Jay Wonder.”

“I see your point.”

“I know you do, Lynne. This Jay Wonder tour gave us the time to getting to know Jay and Karen better. This is why I don’t want to head back to America.”

Then I asked, “What did you think of my younger cousins?”

“They’re pretty nice. From what I saw on this tour, Jay is very popular.”

I nodded.

“Of course he is. He does have a good enough talent to be a recording artist,” I told her.

“I have to agree.”

I took a look at my watch. I change the watch a lot during this tour where we’re traveling on the other side of the pond, as they put it. While we were at the airport, I took another look. I saw tons of people looking at my way. They looked like they remembered me because of this tour.

“Are you Richard McCarey?” a woman asked me.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“We listened to your song on the radio.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

“Where did the song come from?” a young man asked me.

I shrugged.

“I’m afraid I don’t know to answer your question. All I did was sit one day and began to write. It came on its own.”

“I thought Jay was going to perform that song,” same young woman told me.

“No. He didn’t know the song, but he does now because my wife and I are on our way back to America. I really want to stick around so I could see Ireland.”

“When do you plan to go there?” the young man asked me.

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that question. He has a couple of new manager on staff. They’re the ones who set up those dates and times.”

Lynne looked at her watch time.

“Richard, I think it’s almost time to head back with our bags. The plane leaves soon,” said Lynne.

“Okay. Nice talking with you both. Take care.”

Once again I begged Lynne to change her mind about finishing the Jay Wonder tour for this summer. She still didn’t change her mind about turning back, which I found disappointing. Since we’re on facebook, Lynne and I will get to see pictures of the Ireland tour with videos. I’d still prefer seeing it in person, if you ask me.

“I can tell you one thing, Lynne,” I told her.

“What’s that one thing you want to tell me?”

“We’ll still get to see pictures and videos of that tour.”

“That’s for sure. I forgot about being on facebook,” Lynne replied.

“I didn’t. When we get into the house, I’m changing my profile.”

“I thought you already did that.”

“Nope. I haven’t yet put up the pictures we took on this tour. I might use one of those.”

“I like that idea.”

“Me too,” I agreed.

I’m pretty sure Vincent and Jay are also disappointed because my wife and I turned back to Connecticut. Jay doesn’t live in the same state like me and Robert do. I don’t know everything about my younger cousin. I haven’t had much detail on where he grew up. He and I really didn’t get that close of knowing one another better.

“At least we had a blast on spending some quality time with Karen and Jay to know them better,” I said.

“I know. Maybe we’ll see them someday,” Lynne told me.

“Right,” I agreed.

I felt bad because I had to miss out on celebrating Jay’s fifty – second birthday this year. He and I are still young, but neither of us feel about not looking our age, which is good. We don’t yet think of ourselves as old. We never talk about it, and that’s fine with me.

Lynne looked sleepy, and I didn’t blame her on that. I’m feeling the same way myself. WE both yawned at he same time. We didn’t sleep much on the airplane.

Airplanes do that, let me tell you. I didn’t bother checking the time on my watch. Lynne didn’t bother doing that either.

“Lynne, do you remember when Robert and Beth return?”

“No, I don’t, Richard. Why are you asking?”

“Just curious,” I answered.

“Are you feeling a little ashamed that Robert and Beth aren’t on the Jay Wonder tour?”

“How did you guess that?”

I wasn’t that surprised on how she had the right guess.

“You and Robert are close to one another, aren’t you?”

“Yes, we are. This is probably what made me think about Robert. He’d probably be jealous.”

Lynne had to agree.

“Richard, with his behavior disability, it’s probably a good thing he didn’t come along.”

“I understand. Sometimes he does okay in public, but I don’t know what to think on this one since the tour involves a lot of travel.”

Once again Lynne nodded in agreement.

“Robert’s a good guy, Richard. I do understand about his behavior issues.”

“I know you do.”

When we arrived at the airport in Lambert Lake, it was mid – evening.

We decided to give it a shot and see if Robert and Beth made it back from their vacation as well. To me, this Jay Wonder tour looks like a vacation. I decided to ask that question.

“What did you think of the tour?” I asked.

“It was fun. It looked like a vacation.”

“I agree, Lynne. At least seeing pictures and videos for the rest of the tour.”

This time we kissed.

“Are they home?” I asked.

“Yes. Robert’s on his way over.”

“Thanks.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this update might confuse you all, but I wanted to do something different, which is seeing the look on Richard's face when he and his wife Lynne watch the news about them. I also know that the last update we had Richard and Lynne flying back from France to Lambert Lake, so I hope you enjoy this latest update. I know you will see some politics in this update, but it was an idea I had while writing it last night, so we will get to the fun part soon.

Before Lynne and I arrived at the airport, we watched the news on television the other night. Yes, I had a career in the television business once. No, I didn’t do any acting. To tell the truth, I am a retired news anchor. I miss that job sometimes. Now that I’m retired, I can have more time to write songs. This is why I had the feeling that God wanted me to do this tour with my younger cousins.

“Richard, listen to what the news has to say tonight,” Lynne told me.

“What?”

I found a spot to sit in the hotel room.

“Just listen.”

We saw the President, whose name is Troy Duncan.

“Do you have anything to share with us, Mr. President?” a young woman in her late twenties asked.

“Yes, Teresa. The is something I would like to share.”

“Go tell us what you want to say.”

“This has been quite a summer. We had a rock ‘n’ roll group perform for us while we had supper. From what I heard, this group has a lot of talent. I don’t think we’ll invite them back in the future, sorry to say. My vice – president and wife, were there also. It was mostly talking tomorrow’s schedule. This was a busy evening. I will be traveling to Ireland in a day or two for from now.”

“Ireland is quite an adventure. Is it on your schedule for the day, Mr. President?” 

“Yes, I have talked with the country’s leader so we could come up with some last – minute plans. We will be having lunch together. You’re right, Teresa. Ireland should be an adventure.”

“What is he saying?” I asked.

“Shh. There’ more,” she told me.

“What do you plan to do in Ireland since it’s a business trip?”

“I’ll get to that in a couple of minutes.”

Lynne and I watched as President Duncan coughed for a little. We watched as he took out his waterbottle.

“Wait a minute, Lynne. Isn’t that where Jay Wonder is touring?”

“Yes, Richard.”

“That. I did know about it for a while. This group who came to the White House is known as Jay Wonder. Mr. McCarey is the reason I am visiting Ireland.”

“We’ll be back since we’ll take a break. When we get back, the President will share more on his visit to Ireland.”

Then the commercials came on.

“I’m confused about President Duncan’s trip in Ireland since Jay is performing there,” I said and then added, “should I call Jay and Vincent so they could hear this story?”

“That’s a good idea unless they’re already watching.”

She had a good point. I called Vincent.

“Hi, Richard.”

“Hi, Vincent. Are you and Jay watching the news?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Good. President Duncan is talking about the tour Jay will be doing for Ireland.”

“I haven’t seen that news. Lori, Dawn and I are watching the news on CNN. That’s news for us. We’re not too crazy about local news much.”

“I like CNN also, Vincent. This is local news, I think. What is on CNN right now?”

I was already interested.

“The topic is different things, but mostly about the President passing a new pill for the criminals who are in Washington. What are you trying to tell me?”

“Mr. Duncan is being interviewed on the local news. I do think it’s a good idea you watch too. It involves Jay. It doesn’t look very positive at all to myself and Lynne.”

“I’ll flip over right now. What is the President saying?”

“It’s about Ireland tour,” I answered.

“You sure don’t sound very happy, Richard.”

“That’s because I’m not, Vincent. Just listen to what he is telling us.”

“All right. Thanks for calling. You and Lynne have a safe trip back to America.”

“Thanks.”

“And now we’re back to interviewing Mr. President Duncan,” the woman named Teresa replied.

“You were just telling us about your upcoming visit to Ireland, President Duncan. Please continue,” she said as she handed the microphone to Duncan.

“What I am about to share with you, Teresa, is that I am to have a lunch date with the Ireland leader.”

“He does know about Jay McCarey coming out there soon. Our lunch date is about him anyway. I did a lot of research on the rock star. It’s quite interesting on what you find about this guy.”

“Why is Jay Wonder part of your visit?”

“I’m getting to that. I may not be too crazy about building a wall from the Mexican borer like Trump wants to do, but my idea is a little different from Trump.

“I looked at a biography on Jay McCarey. I have heard he was a local resident here in Washington, D.C. That interests me, so I read on. This is why I want to visit Ireland is because of him.”

“Tell us the rest of your plan.”

“This is getting to the good part, Teresa. What I learned about the lead singer of Jay Wonder is his ancestors immigrated here from Ireland during the time of President Washington.”

I now had my full attention as he continued to speak.

“I read this family was the first generation came here in 1777 illegally. This is why I am going to Ireland. I don’t really support Trump’s idea of the wall. I also did find out these ancestors of Mr. McCarey’s are the first ones as the first generation from Washington’s time. Yes, they were the ones who started the gift for music.”

“Mr. McCarey and his family are very interesting characters for sure. So you found out by this research of yours that the last name is Irish?”

“Exactly. I am going to share this at lunchtime. I don’t really know if the country’s leader will agree with my idea to blocking the entire McCarey family so none of them will return here in America.”

“Your plan does sound like Mr. Trump’s a little bit. So you plan to keep the ones who immigrated here to America that have the right to live here?”

“Yes. McCareys are the only ones that should be blocked from America, even if it means they are living here as citizens.”

Lynne and I looked at each other. Now we were both starting to get his idea of the Ireland tour.

“So when do you plan to block the McCareys from returning after the tour is finished?” she asked.

“The people who aren’t related to the McCareys can come back to America. That’s when the blocking them begins.”

“Did you get to hear the popular ‘Sunshine and Candy’ song while he was at the White House?”

“Yes, Teresa. It was not Jay himself that performed the newest hit.”

“Would you like to tell us who performed it?”

“Yes. It was a cousin named Richard McCarey since he was the one who created the song. He had talent just like Jay himself. He will be part of the plan to be blocked.”

Lynne and I looked at each other with a shocked look.

“He doesn’t make sense at all,” I told her.

Lynne agreed. There was more to the story.

“Do you have any idea where Jay Wonder is right now?”

“Yes. They are in France from what I saw on the schedule,” he answered.

“Do you have any predictions on the McCareys?”

“I do, Teresa. I am predicting that Richard and his wife will leave the tour before Ireland starts.”

“What do you think what Richard will do?”

“I have the feeling that they would stay in Lambert Lake for a couple of days and tell his family about my plan about Ireland and travel to Ireland and never return.”

“Thank you for taking up some of your time to this interview, Mr. President. We’ll visit with you again soon. We hope you have a safe visit in Ireland.”

“Thank you.”

That was when the interview finally ended.

We still had our shocked looks on our faces. What Mr. President Duncan predicted about leaving for America was right.

“I don’t believe this, Lynne. You and I liked him at the dinner. Now he wants to block us? He doesn’t make any sense at all,” I told her.

“Robert and Beth won’t like it either,” she agreed.

“I know we voted on Duncan for the President, and now I’m getting angry at him from what we just heard.”

“I understand. Let’s go to bed and forget about what he said.”

I looked at my wife. She had a good point.

“You’re right. Let’s go to bed.”

So we did just that.


	10. Chapter 10

Lynne and I weren’t getting the idea at all on why President Duncan predicted on what we were going to do. Sure, my ancestors immigrated here to America when George Washington was President. It looked like Jay agreed with me and Vincent that doesn’t make any sense at all.

“Lynne, have you told Beth about this thing with President Duncan?” I asked.

“Yes, I did. She saw the interview on the news. It’s even in the newspaper.”

“Oh. What did she think of this whole blocking us McCareys?”

“She doesn’t sound very happy about it either. I’ve never been to Ireland before.”

“Neither have I, but I still want to do this tour with Jay rather than worrying about my health with depression.”

“I know, Richard, but I just didn’t want you having any problems.”

“I haven’t had any problems without taking those antidepressants at all this entire summer.”

“I know, but I want to help you on taking them again.”

“I know. I told you this several times, Lynne. You aren’t Pearl McCarey.”

“I know I’m not your mother. You don’t need to keep reminding me. We’re having this argument about your mother.”

This argument sure is getting old, but didn’t share that with my wife, and she knows it as well.

“Beth said we’ll be eating out on Saturday. I hope that’s okay with you.”

“Of course I’m fine with it, honey. Did she say breakfast or dinner?”

“She hasn’t said, but we will go with whatever she wants to do. I’m sure we will help Robert since we’re all still learning about his diabetes.”

“I understand. Maybe I could help in that area.”

“I’m happy to see you have kept the belief on your ancestors about showing what kind of family you are.”

“Thanks, Lynne. From what I’ve learned about that, Lori was the one who came up with that belief when she and Joshua first immigrated here from Ireland. That’s what Grandpa told us when we were kids.”

In case you didn’t know, Lori and Joshua were the first generation of the family along with the gift of music, and that still hasn’t changed since. This is why I write my own music.

“Lynne, I like how you worry about me, but I’m fifty – four, not five. I am happy to know that my second wife showed more interest in the McCarey family history. My first wife really didn’t show that much interest.”

“Glad to hear that. You know what I think?”

“What’s that?” I asked.

Whatever Lynne had to say, it better be good, I told myself.

“I think you shouldn’t get involved with anymore of Jay’s summer tours in the future. I think this is why you got involved too much without taking your antidepressants.”

“After all, I am retired, Lynne. I can do this if I want to. I can write songs for Jay, but it doesn’t stop me not being involved in the future to perform with him.”

She saw my point, but she still doesn’t agree with me. I then changed the subject about depression. Maybe Lynne was right about not taking my antidepressants, but I did feel a few symptoms but didn’t want to say it to her. Let her figure that one out for herself.

We agreed to go out to a movie the next day rather than just arguing about Jay Wonder’s tour. I sure did have fun wearing green, and it was a nice change and it really was something different for this year’s tour. Sure my family and I like some stuff about our background. Even my nephews Mark and Todd show interest in the McCarey family history. From what I learned on this tour was that Jay seemed to be the only one in the family who liked rock ‘n’ roll. Karen was the one who told me that, and also she liked country and instrumental. My family and I really have the ear for music since it’s a gift, and we aren’t deaf tone.

“What do you want to do tomorrow, Lynne? Besides going out to see a movie?” I asked.

“I really haven’t thought about it yet. Why?”

“Just wondered.”

“Maybe we could go shopping for new clothes.”

“Why do you need to shop for new clothes?” I asked.

“Because we need to stay updated on fashion. Some of your stuff looks like it can go away since a lot of them have holes and almost all of your buttons are lost,” Lynne told me.

I haven’t paid much attention to that, and I told her so.

“That’s what I thought.”

“Can we stop arguing, Lynne? I’m just tired of it,” I told her.

“So am I. Any suggestions for dinner tonight?” she asked me.

“How about tacos or pizza?” 

“I’d be happy to call in for pizza,” she told me.

“You can do that one, if you’re still interested in ordering it for us.”

She laughed when I said that to her. She knew I was only joking.

“That’s a new joke, Richard. Where did you come up with that one?” she asked as she stopped laughing.

“I don’t know. I was only saying things, that’s all.”

“Maybe you could write a song about that.”

Now it was my turn to laugh.

“I don’t think so. I don’t like writing songs that have humor.”

She knew that. We both picked up the pizza, heated it, and then went to bed.


	11. Chapter 11

Before this tour started, I exchanged phone numbers with cousin Jay and keep in contact. I was curious how the Ireland tour was going to turn out. I was right – I did receive a telephone call from Jay.

“Hello?” I heard Lynne say.

I didn’t catch whose voice it was when she talked with Jay. This was a good way to know Jay and Karen for the summer.

“I’ll put him on,” Lynne said.

“Richard, you have a phone call.”

“Who is it?” I asked.

“Jay,” she answered.

“I wonder why he’s calling us,” I told her.

“I have no clue. He didn’t tell me anything.”

“I’ll take his call.”

So I took the phone from Lynne’s hands.

“Hello?” I said.

It indeed was Jay like she told me.

“Hi, Richard. This is Jay.”

“I thought Jay Wonder was on the Ireland tour.”

“This is why I’m calling, Richard.”

Jay sounded like he was disappointed about something.

“You don’t sound very happy to me.”

“That’s because I’m not.”

“Why are you calling me for?”

I wasn’t understanding why he called, so I let him continue.

“Richard, this is why I’m calling. Since you bought up my visit to Ireland, you are exactly right,” Jay told me.

“I’m listening.”

“We heard from President Duncan.”

“How come? What does he have to do with this phone call?”

“I’m getting to that if you stop asking questions.”

“Sorry, Jay. Please continue.”

“Well, remember this trip to Ireland?”

“I keep asking that.”

“I know you do. Here’s what he told us, including Vincent. He thought that we reschedule the rest of these tour dates for next summer because of what the President’s crazy idea about blocking the McCareys.”

“Please continue. This is still confusing to me, but it does make sense so far.”

“Glad to see we both agree, Richard. What is happening now is since summer break is over, President Duncan changed his mind about Ireland. He’s agreed with Ireland’s leader of the country that this year isn’t going to happen because Jay Wonder has stopped the tour because of Las Vegas.”

“I remember watching that on the news, Jay. I am happy I don’t live there like you do.”

“I know. There’s more to the story.”

“I thought this was the idea of ending this phone call.”

“Not yet. Remember when you and Lynne left Germany?”

“Yes, I do. What about it?”

“Before you left, the President did predict something about Germany. That involves you.”

“Why me? I’m not understanding your story, Jay. I was telling the truth.”

“President Duncan predicated that you would leave Germany and not go on the Ireland tour.”

“He was right too,” I told my cousin.

“Of course he did.”

“How did he guess right?”

Now I was beginning to get the idea of this conversation.

“You’re starting to make sense, Jay,” I told him and then added, “I’ve got to go. I’ll talk later.”

“Talk to you again soon, Richard.”

“Okay. Take care.”

When I got off with Jay, I rejoined Lynne in the living room.

“Are you going to share with me about why he called us?” asked Lynne.

So I told her every detail what he told me.

“Wow. At least we don’t have to pack up.”

“That’s true, Lynne. I wonder if Robert passed this over to Todd and Mark.”

“If he didn’t, you can tell them since you have more information than he does to pass this over to the mayor and senator. This is involving politics, so they should handle this one and not us.”

“I agree. I’ll go call them now if they aren’t too busy.”

So I picked up the phone and made the first telephone call to Mark. I thought I would tell him first.

“I’d like to speak with Mayor McCarey if he isn’t too busy.”

“What’s your name?” the secretary asked.

“Richard. I happen to be his uncle.”

“Hold on for a while. I’m going to see if he is available.”

She left for a couple minutes. Mark indeed was open.

“Hi, Uncle Richard. What’s new with you?”

“A lot, Mark. Mind if I start from the beginning?”

“Yes, Uncle Richard. I’m all ears.”

I could tell that he was. I told him everything Jay told me.

“I don’t remember you telling me about any summer tour for overseas. You do sound confusing, but some of it makes sense. Why am I involved?”

“This has something to do with politics.”

“I like politics. Keep going.”

“This building a all that Donald Trump keeps talking about might never happen, Mark. We might even have our own place overseas if Ireland does happen next year.”

“Since we’re Democrats, Uncle Richard, I agree with you about that border wall Trump wants to do. Sounds like to me that both President Trump and President Duncan sound the same.”

I had to agree with my nephew. It’s been a while since we had a conversation.

“Uncle Richard, I have a question about ‘Sunshine and Candy’ that you wrote.”

“What’s that? I never planned to share my songs with the entire world. Somehow it happened and became a hit.”

“My question is that do you plan to keep writing songs for Jay Wonder?”

“I don’t know. I never really thought about that. He wants me to, but I did tell him that. You know the rest of my songs are country.”

“Of course I don’t need to be reminded. Another question is that have you told Senator McCarey and Dad yet?”

“No, I haven’t. Would you mind telling them for me?”

“Be glad to, Uncle Richard. I have a meeting. It was nice hearing from you. I’ll see what Senator Todd and I can come up with on this. We might even talk with Duncan.”

He was right.

“Good – bye, Mark. Talk to you soon.”

End of conversation.


	12. Chapter 12

The very next day, I received a telephone call from my mother, Pearl. She lives in a nursing home here in Lambert Lake with Grandpa/ I like the idea so they would be closer to one another.

“Hello, Richard. I have heard the latest on you. I’m very proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom. I never wanted to write songs for the whole world to share, but it happened. This is why I toured with cousin Jay and his band.”

“Your grandfather was jealous because when he was a lot younger, he was involved with local bands and traveled a little. He wanted to be with you and Jay Wonder.”

“I can show you videos and pictures if you’d like,” I told her.

“Thank you, Richard. Only a reminder that I can’t see and hear very well much anymore.”

“I know. You don’t need to remind me. I’ll stop by when I get the chance.”

“All right. I did follow President Duncan on this tour you were doing with Jay Wonder.”

“I believe it. What did you think of the President wanting to block us McCareys? That doesn’t really make any sense to me because the family have been US citizens when President Washington was around.”

“All of the presidents were different, Richard. But if you ask me, I do miss President Obama.”

“I have to agree with you, Mom. I know Robert and the boys do for sure. If you ask me, I happen to believe that Duncan sounds a little bit like Trump.”

Mom agreed.

“It would be nice to see Trump stop going on social media all the time and be impeached.”

“I can’t argue there. Trump isn’t that smart like President Duncan. I like how Duncan is promising to the United States on bringing us Democrats back together and ignoring the Republicans.”

That was another thing we agreed.

“Richard, let’s not talk about politics anymore. I only called you to say how proud I am to see that you have put your ‘Sunshine and Candy’ out this summer. You have always been very talented when you first wrote your first song.”

“Those songs I wrote have for family only, not the world like Jay McCarey.”

“I’ve never met Jay or Karen, but I do know they have kept the family gift of music and haven’t stopped.”

“Almost all of us McCareys were always musical, is from what I remember you and Grandpa have been saying after all of these years.”

Mom sounded like she was getting tired a little bit.

“Richard, I guess we better stop talking for today.”

“I understand, Mom. I understand you’re getting tired. Maybe Lynne and I will try to stop by either tonight or tomorrow morning.”

“Either way works. Talk to you again.”

She was the first one to hang up the phone. Lynne watched me talk to my mother.

“Richard, you really didn’t need to mention politics. We might be Democrats, but we all think of differently on issues on what we do or don’t agree.”

“I already know Pearl is Democrat also. You can tell me what she said.”

“I noticed that you were listening in.”

“Yes, I was, Richard, buy I didn’t catch every word you and your mother were saying,” Lynne told me.

“She’s only interested about our tour I did with Jay Wonder this summer. She said she’s very proud of me by receiving royalties on Sunshine and Candy. I did want to change it the other way around to keep it to my family only.”

“Well, you were talked into it, whether you liked it or not.”

“And it ended up being a hit song. That really made me feel good.”

“Same here, honey. Do you think you’ll write more songs for Jay Wonder in the future?”

“I don’t think so, Lynne. From what you’ve seen and heard, I’m going back to my music for family only.”

“At least it was fun while it lasted.”

I agreed.

“That’s for sure. Mom did say that Grandpa was a bit jealous because he wasn’t able to come along for Jay Wonder’s tour.”

“I don’t blame Kenneth at all. He’s a good man. You’re very lucky to be part of the McCarey family, even though you married twice.”

“Of course it’s great being a McCarey. If you weren’t a Cline or Webber, you’d probably would’ve been a cousin or something like that.”

“Maybe. Have you told your ex – wife the same thing?”

“No way. She did like being a McCarey for a while and then got tired of being one, which is sad. Nobody in the McCarey family has ever been boring. That’s why we divorced after fourteen years. And then you came along.”

“That’s for sure. I’m happy to know you are enjoying being a member of us Democrat McCareys.”

“I’m proud to be part of it. Like other people you do know are enjoying being friends and neighbors and former classmates to be with the McCareys’ life involving the gift of music.”

“Amen, Lynne. I am proud that you are now part of my family. I’m going to tell you something else.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m never going to publish anymore songs.”

What I said is true, but it was fun while it lasted.


End file.
